Latest stories - Chris Rowland

2 Days Ago
The eagerly anticipated Lenovo Smart Clock is finally here! Lenovo has told Ausdroid that the smart clock is available for pre-order today, and will be available in store at selected retailers in two weeks on the 6th of June.

2 Days Ago
If you’ve been following our NBN journey, we’ve been through the different NBN connection types and what they mean for you as a customer. Unfortunately, you don’t get much choice in what technology is used to connect your household to the NBN, but you do get to choose a fair bit when it comes to … The post Signing up to an NBN plan: What do all the numbers and inclusions mean?

3 Days Ago
Optus has advised its customers this afternoon that it is suffering an outage affecting access to international websites and some gaming platforms. Customers will notice that certain home automation services – such as Sensibo and Arlo Security cameras – are not working.

3 Days Ago
Optus has announced a special offer for kids around Australia today, offering free Optus Sports access to stream the FIFA Womens World Cup. With only 17 days until the first ball is kicked, the complimentary offer aims to give women’s sport greater visibility and change the future Australian school children see.

3 Days Ago
When the Android Q open beta was expanded at Google IO earlier this month, a somewhat surprising inclusion was Huawei’s Mate 20 Pro. This inclusion allowed Mate 20 Pro users to download and preview the latest version of the Android operating system … and the sad thing is, that may have been the closest these … The post Huawei Mate 20 Pro quietly disappears from Android Q Beta page appeared first on Ausdroid.

3 Days Ago
Google and Bose are bringing the Google Assistant to a number of Bose’ smart speakers, allowing users to choose their favourite tunes, choose something to watch on TV or dim the lights with their Bose devices.

4 Days Ago
This morning, Reuters reports that the U.S. Department of Commerce has allowed Huawei a temporary reprieve with very limited scope, which will allow the company to purchase American-made goods to maintain existing carrier networks, and to provide software updates to existing Huawei handsets.

5 Days Ago
Following the US Department of Commerce listing Huawei on the “Entity List”, the news for the Chinese technology giant has gone from bad to worse. Citing the risk posed to US national security by Huawei, the US DOC Entity Listing means US companies cannot sell products or services to Huawei (or many of its named … The post Analysis: United States deals Huawei a knockout blow, key suppliers including Google and Intel cutting off supply of services and technology appeared first on Ausdroid.

5 Days Ago
Last week, the US made a number of moves against Huawei, and we’re already starting to see the effect. Following the listing of Huawei on the Department of Commerce Entity List – which specifies those companies which are considered a risk to the US national security – companies in the US have begun implementing that … The post [Updated: Confirmation] Google to cease all business with Huawei, to pull access to Play Store, Google apps and Android updates appeared first on Ausdroid.

7 Days Ago
Children of the 80s and 90s will probably remember the time their mum or dad came home with a Motorola StarTAC mobile. Among the most popular foldable phones, the format has largely died out until recently, when rumours began to emerge of a new Motorola folding phone.

7 Days Ago
Some online services make it fairly difficult to secure your account beyond an email address and a password. When you stop and consider just how much of your online identity is protected by these two simple things – which are also quite easy to steal – you’d be a little worried.

7 Days Ago
On one hand, scrolling screenshots aren’t exactly new; OEMs have been baking this into their own interpretations of Android for a couple of years now, at least, but Google has avoided doing the same.

9 Days Ago
In breaking news from the US today, the US Commerce Department has added Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (and 70 of its affiliates) to the Department’s “Entity List”, a move which bans the Chinese telecom giant from buying parts and components from U.S.

11 Days Ago
The Lenovo Smart Clock was announced earlier this year at CES 2019, and even though it wasn’t especially cheap – $79.99 USD we were told – it looks like the must-have bedside table accessory.

11 Days Ago
The NBN was touted as dream infrastructure, and the Coalition says it is close to completing the A$50 billion national broadband network. But Australia recently slipped three spots to place 62nd in global broadband rankings, with our average download speed of 35.11 Mbps far below the global average of 57.91 Mbps.

11 Days Ago
Google’s stewardship of task management apps reminds me of its approach to chat / messaging apps; it just can’t seem to settle on a consistent approach, and so instead, it has 38 different approaches.

13 Days Ago
Samsung has launched a range of affordable smartphones in Australia designed to offer premium features to more price-conscious customers, with models starting at just $279 and ranging up to $649.

15 Days Ago
In a limited time special, LG’s flagship from last year is hugely discounted until Sunday, making it an excellent – if not a little old – option for a new smartphone if you want to save some serious cash.

15 Days Ago
Buying the new Google Pixel 3a is a much easier proposition than it was even six months ago when the Pixel 3 line was released. The Pixel 3a was announced yesterday morning, and I had one in my hands yesterday afternoon, as did many other Australians who were able to buy one in store on … The post The Google Pixel 3a is a Vodafone carrier exclusive in Australia; here’s the best plans appeared first on Ausdroid.

16 Days Ago
Telstra is already offering some bonus discounts on its Samsung Galaxy S10e plans, but on top of that – to sweeten the deal – you can now score a pair of JBL noise cancelling headphones for free with your new phone.